Forty editors-in-chief of Czech news and current-affairs media published an appeal called Základní hranice on Monday, 5 October 2026. In it they call on public officials to join them in rejecting violence, observing the basic principles of decent communication and respecting free access to information.[1][2] The media whose representatives signed the appeal published it simultaneously in the morning on their websites and in their broadcasts, and it also appeared in the Monday edition of most newspapers.[1][2]
Content of the appeal
The appeal is addressed to politicians at the national, regional and municipal levels regardless of party affiliation. The signatories state that media freedom and pluralism are an important part of a democratic society and that, despite the differing focus of individual media, there are common elements in how they operate and in their relationship to the political scene and public power.[1][2]
In the section on violence, the appeal states that neither the media nor political representatives may incite violence or lead others to it. According to the text, journalists stress to their audiences that violence in public debate is unacceptable and ask the same of politicians toward their supporters and voters, including in discussions on social networks.[1][2]
The second part concerns information. According to the appeal, both the media and politicians have the right to decide with whom and how they wish to communicate, but offices and public institutions are not the property of those who run them. The signatories therefore insist that the official information outputs of offices be available to everyone without distinction.[1][2]
Background
According to a survey by the agency Ipsos published in April 2025, almost 80 percent of journalists in Czechia had encountered aggression, an attack or another form of threat. Most often, in almost two thirds of cases (62 percent), it was verbal abuse online in the preceding year, mostly on social networks or by e-mail. Two percent of the attacks took the form of physical assault.[1]
Chronology
- — Some forty editors-in-chief of Czech news and current-affairs media published an appeal titled Základní hranice (Basic Limits), calling on public officials to reject violence and respect free access to information. ČTK / České noviny ČT24
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 5 October 2026
- ČT24 — 5 October 2026